Nothing's Changed (Uta x OC)
by BookDevil101
Summary: Willow had once been a part of Anteiku. She left the sector in order to look for her father. When she comes back, she makes it her first priority to regain the friendships she once had. She befriends Kaneki quickly, but things take a downturn when Kaneki is taken hostage. Willow takes comfort at Uta's side when her close friend is tortured endlessly and eventually breaks.
1. Chapter 1

"Willow, back so soon?" Touka warmly greeted me with a smile the moment I stepped through the doors to Anteiku. I nonchalantly waved to her and nodded. With a swing of my arm, I effortlessly threw my bag over my shoulder. Touka finished cleaning her table before setting her rag down and running up to give me a hug. I dropped my bag and gave her a bear hug in return.

"Nothing's changed I see," I commented when we broke the hug.

"All except for a few things," Touka replied with a knowing smirk. The moment I shot her a confused look and raised my eyebrow, a boy with an eyepatch walked in.

"Oh," was all I said.

The boy looked surprised for a moment and he tensed up. I could already tell his thought process. The cafe wasn't open, so I couldn't be a customer. There was a bag by my feet so I was most likely staying. The only thing left was if - he shot Touka a questioning look. There it was. Touka nodded slightly in reply to him. I reached my hand out to him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Willow Grove. I used to be a part of Anteiku until I left the ward. Now I'm back," I smiled at him.

I could tell he was less cautious as he grabbed my hand and shook it. "I'm Kaneki Ken. I joined a few weeks ago," he politely smiled back.

"I see you've returned. Welcome back, Willow-chan. Go ahead and get settled in your room. We have much to catch up on," a voice I knew too well said from the stairway. I turned to him with a large smile plastered on my face.

"Will do! It's good to be back Yoshimura-san." And with that, I bowed to Kaneki, hugged Touka once more, grabbed my bag and ran up the stairs.

I quickly unpacked my bag, putting my clothes back in their original drawers. I had left the 20th ward in order to find my father, to which I had no luck with. I grew up with my mother in the 11th ward. To say the least, it was a nightmare. We were always trying to find a place to sleep every night. We finally made our way out of the 11th ward when I was about 10 years old. But the moment we had tried walking in the open, we had run into some doves, who killed my mother mercilessly right in front of me. I would have been dead if Yoshimara hadn't of saved me. I had lived at Anteiku since then.

My mother rarely ever spoke of my father. But when she did, I made sure to pay attention to every detail. Thus, I had known the basic appearance of my unnamed father, what type of kagune he had, and his personality. My mother never suspected me to have payed attention, but I have only one defense for that. Never underestimate a fatherless child.

A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I replied as I placed the new books I had bought on my slightly packed bookcase. Slightly being an understatement. Kaneki walked in, carrying a tray of coffee. "Sorry, it's a bit messy in here," I awkwardly scratched my head. I didn't expect someone to come in, so I had books strewn across the floor. "If you need a place to set the tray, you can put it..." I looked around. "There," I pointed behind me towards a small book less space on my coffee table. Kaneki simply smiled and set it down. I turned around and continued shoving my books into my tightly packed bookcase.

I jumped slightly when Kaneki spoke. "You already bought this book? But it was just published," I looked back at him as he spoke, holding the book in his hands.

"Yup. Read it already too," I laughed uneasily. I had a bad habit of reading books only days after I bought them. Kaneki was flipping through the pages, his eyes trying to take everything in. "If you want you can just borrow the book," I shoved one last book into the shelf. I turned around as I dusted myself off, and smiled to Kaneki.

I loved the look on his face. Like a little human child getting candy. "Are you sure?" Kaneki asked.

"Positive. Keep it as long as you like. I finished it after all," I replied. I walked over to him and the tray of coffee. I took a cup and poured some for myself. I quietly sipped at the coffee. I didn't actually like the taste of coffee, I just missed Anteiku's coffee and I needed the caffeine to keep myself awake for the rest of the day until I could sleep. Safely.

"Thank you so much!" Kaneki said as he bowed his head to me.

"Ah, really no problem. You don't have to bow to me over a book, Kaneki. Formalities should be cast aside. I'm part of Anteiku again which means i'm part of your family," I poked him in the head. "Now stand up."

"Eheh… Well, Willow, Thank you," Kaneki said with a grin.

"Yes yes. Now shoo. You shouldn't dawdle on me and I don't want a pile of books to fall and squish you," I said as I scooted him out of the room.

I smiled and shook my head. I was glad that I found someone to share a common interest with. Kaneki obviously liked books, and I, well. I had a room that didn't have enough bookshelves with book literally in piles on the floor. I took another sip of coffee and got back to work on my cluttered room.

* * *

Not even a half hour later I had a clean, presentable room. Satisfied with myself, I quietly walked out of my room and down the stairs to the cafe. I could already hear the chatter of people and the clinking of plates. Touka, I noticed, was taking orders from some humans, while Kaneki was talking to some orange haired kid. I looked around for the manager, spotting him behind the counter making coffee. I walked up to him and greeted him with a wave and smile. He smiled back. "I want to get back into routine as soon as possible if thats ok?" I shyly said. I wasn't sure how accepting Anteiku would be since I had left them before.

"I thought you'd say that," Yoshimura said, taking me off guard. He pulled my old uniform out from under the counter and handed it to me. "Now get dressed quickly. You have much time to make up for," he said sternly, but there was a warmth in his gaze that reassured me that I was home. Safe and sound.

"Yes sir!" I said with a mocking grin and salute. The Manager only chuckled and went back to his coffee making. I took my leave and walked straight into the meeting room to get dressed. When I was back into my old familiar clothes, I got straight to work. Touka was racing around trying to get all the customers. Anteiku was incredibly busy today, completely the opposite of how I remembered it. I grabbed an extra notepad and pencil and walked up to Touka.

"I have your back," I said as I placed my fist over my heart and bowed down to her. I ignored my long orange hair as it fell over my shoulders and into my face. I heard a thump and looked up to see Touka with her fist over her heart as well. I grinned, happy that she wasn't upset with me for leaving.

* * *

I wiped the sweat off my brow. It had been a while since I had a full day of work. "Thank you for coming!" I called out to the last customer as they walked out the door. "Good work everybody!" I shouted.

"Good job yourself," Touka responded with a grin. Was it just me or was she smiling more lately?

"Good job, Willow," Kaneki said once he stood up after wiping off the counter. Touka waved to me and went into the changing rooms to get out of her uniform.

"Thank you! Have you started reading the book yet?" I asked. If I were him, I would have been finished by now, even with the work.

Kaneki had a guilty look on his face. "No. Not yet. I was hoping to start it after work today," He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

I grinned and said, "Cool! Enjoy! I'm going to head out for a bit to buy some books, bye Kaneki!" I waved to him once and ran into the changing room after Touka.

* * *

I had changed rather quickly into my casual clothes and stuffed my uniform into my old locker. Without another word I grabbed some money out of my wallet, left it in the locker, and ran out of the shops. I instantly began heading down the familiar streets towards the main shopping district. I knew exactly where I was going. My favorite bookstore. Today, another book was coming out from a new series I was reading, and I was going to get that book before anybody else bought them all. I was a book nerd and I wasn't afraid to show it. I had other qualities that hid my inner book nerd, but I still showed it to everyone. Books fascinated me. Different worlds with happy endings. You could forget about everything else about your world and get lost in another. Pure bliss in my opinion.

I looked up at the building in front of me. I could see the large towering bookshelves through the windows. This store was definitely one of the reasons I had returned, besides having no leads and missing everyone at Anteiku. I stepped inside the store, sadly noticing a line by the cashier already. Well. Not to bad. I could still get my book. Hopefully.

* * *

I walked back into Anteiku with a smile. I was able to get my book. I almost ran into a table when I noticed the main lights were off. It wasn't that late, it was only seven o'clock. I looked around to find the manager and Toula speaking at the counter, where the only source of light was coming from. I could hear the two of them from where I stood. "Take Kaneki to get a mask from Uta, tomorrow. It's your day off isn't it?" Yoshimura-san said to Touka as he cleaned the cups.

"Ahhh," Touka exhaled. "I have to waste my day off on that brat?"

At that moment I stepped in. "Awe, come on Touka, wouldn't it be fun to go see Uta's masks again? And plus, Kaneki isn't a brat," I pouted. "Speaking of which, I need a new mask too. I kinda broke mine in a small scuffle with some other ghouls by accident…" I trailed off, scratching the back of my head.

"Accident?!" Touka exclaimed with a face palm.

"Willow, you shouldn't be so reckless," the manager calmly commented.

"Yeah yeah. What did you expect? It's me we're talking about," I laughed sheepishly. I hated it when they worried. It made me feel guilty.

"Anyways, if you need a new mask, why don't you go instead," Touka complained. I was about to retort, but the Manager beat me too it.

"It's safer with three people, and it would be a good experience for you as well," Yoshimura said, and finished cleaning. He simply walked away afterwards. Touka huffed with annoyance. We both knew that whatever Yoshimura said was how things would go, whether we liked it or not.

I heard footsteps echoing down the stairway. I quietly turned around to find Kaneki walking down the stairs. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"I have no clue. Oh! By the way! Touka and I are taking you down to Uta's shop to get a mask tomorrow. I broke mine a few weeks ago, so I have to get a new one too. I hope you're free tomorrow," I said quickly before Touka could make up an excuse not to go. She was going. I would make sure of it.

"A-a mask?" Kaneki seemed a little worried.

"Yup! Ah. You don't know?" I suddenly realized something. "You're half ghoul, aren't you?" I blinked at him. It was interesting. He most likely just recently became one, because if he were born as half ghoul, he would have either had a mask or at least know about them.

"Y-yeah," Kaneki began to stutter. "Why-why would I need a mask?"

"If you're worried about killing people, it's not for that. It's just incase you run into some Doves. Nasty little buggers," I muttered the last part under my breath, but Kaneki seemed to hear me. He snorted a little. "So. Wear casual clothes. It's an adventure!" I shouted and raised my fist in the air.

"Willow be quiet!" I could hear the manager shout from somewhere in the building. I clasped my hand over my mouth, Touka sighing as she cleaned the tables, and Kaneki laughing under his breath. I smiled. My clumsiness seemed to have calmed him down a bit. Although I was a few years older than both Kaneki and Touka, I was the least mature.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to the sound of my alarm blaring next to my head. I smacked it, sending it flying across the room, landing in a jumbled, broken heap. At least it made the annoying sound stop. I groaned and pulled myself out of my bed. It had been so long since I had a safe, warm place to sleep that I wished I didn't have to help Kaneki get his mask. I walked in front of my mirror, looking over myself. I had gotten considerably skinnier, making my features more noticeable. But, I wasn't so happy with myself as I used to be. I like having more muscle and not being so skinny. I still had muscle of course, but I looked weaker. I then looked at my hair. It was orange, about the same color of Kaneki's friend I realized, and went down to my middle back. Touka suggested I cut it a while ago, in order to keep other ghouls and Doves from grabbing it, but I loved having long hair. I used to always keep my hair down, But now, it tended to get in my face, and I ended up putting it up constantly. I sighed and stared back at my red eyes. I was going to see Uta today, and I wanted to look presentable, but it looked like that was out of the question.

I admit that I used to have a crush on him, but he turned into a really close friend. And then I left. Without saying a word to him, and leaving all the explaining to Anteiku. God, I felt guilty. I emotionlessly brushed and put my hair into a ponytail. I picked out a simple outfit that consisted of skinny jeans, combat boots (I only ever wore those to begin with), and a T-shirt. I quickly threw on a hoodie, before running out of my room and down the stairs to meet up with Kaneki and Touka.

Touka and Kaneki were already in the cafe, waiting for me. "Thanks for waiting!" I said as I waved my hand to them.

"Whatever. Let's go," Touka said as she turned on her heel and walked out of the shop.

"Awwwe geez. What was in her flesh this morning," I whined. Oops. I slapped my hand over my mouth again, and slowly turned to Kaneki who had big eyes. I sighed. "Ah come on. Don't act surprised at this point," I said as I started to follow Touka. I face palmed at my stupidity and at Kaneki's innocence.

"M-maybe you're right," Kaneki quietly said, and followed behind.

* * *

I talked with Kaneki about books the entire way to the Fourth Ward, and before I knew it we were standing in front of Uta's shop. I started to get second thoughts again. Touka had already walked in without another thought, but Kaneki looked back at me before opening the door.

"Are you coming, Willow?"

"Um. I think I'll just wait for you guys out here. I'm not so sure I want to go in just yet," I whispered. I was so unsure of myself. Would Uta still make me a mask? Would he even talk to me? Worst of all, would he still be my friend? I had so many things swimming through my mind, that I almost didn't notice the questioning, but understanding look Kaneki shot at me, before nodding and walking inside.

* * *

I started to pace outside, but stopped when I heard Kaneki yelp in surprise. I snorted to myself, remembering how he liked to hide. I froze up. I had so many fond memories, what would I do if I couldn't make any more new ones with such an important person in my life. I started to play with my orange hair. I hated the color on myself. I felt that it didn't match me. I felt that it was weird on me. I liked it on other people, like Kaneki's human friend, but I just could not stand it on myself. Maybe I should have dyed it. Would I have felt more secure.

I found myself sitting on the ground against the shop's wall. I knew I couldn't do it. I wasn't ready to face him after the way I left. Friends were so important to me, and yet I left such an important one without a word. What was I going to do now that I was back. Uta looked scary on the outside, but he was kind and gentle inside. Or as kind and gentle as a ghoul can be. I mean, I was nice, ish.

I sat outside for what seemed the greater part of an hour, before Touka and Kaneki stepped outside of the shop. Touka stopped in her steps and looked down at me. I tried to speak but nothing came out. I hung my head instead. Then the words came out. "Looks like I couldn't do it after all," I murmured quietly. Touka knew exactly what I was talking about. I felt something on my head, and looked up to find her hand resting upon my head. She was smiling sadly at me, and Kaneki still looked confused.

"We'll leave you too it," Touka told me, before taking her hand back and walking away, quietly becoming a reluctant and confused Kaneki. I smiled a little, Touka's small gesture meant the world to me, and she knew that.

* * *

I spent maybe another hour sitting outside of Uta's shop. I couldn't walk in, but I couldn't bring myself to walk away either. It was now or never, and I wanted it to be now. I moved my hair to my left shoulder, and stood up. Without another thought that would make me change my mind, I opened the door and walked straight in. I took in the familiar surroundings, and the beautiful masks on their stands. I finally noticed someone quietly working at the counter. Uta.

His soothing voice began to speak, but I cut him off. "Short, 22, Long Orange hair, currently single, love books, I draw, and no allergies to anything," I stated, answering all of the questions he was about to ask. I saluted, even though I knew he wasn't facing me. I could see his hands stop scribbling on the sketchbook, that was probably for Kaneki's mask.

I held back tears that threatened to fall. I knew I was a big wuss when it came to my friends, but I wasn't ashamed of that. They were my only family. I held my breath when Uta started to speak. "Willow?" He turned around slightly as if to make sure it was me.

"Hey, Uta. Long time no see," I smiled at him, I closed my eyes, completely failing from letting the tears fall. I probably looked so pathetic. I wanted to laugh at myself. I left my best friend without saying goodbye, and left Touka and the others to explain to him why I wasn't here. I was an awful person. I had my reason, I know I did, but I should have done things differently.

I heard Uta get up and walk away. I hung my head, and wiped my tears away. I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the floor. The entire building was familiar for me. This was my favorite place to be, besides Anteiku. I was so stupid for coming here. I needed to apologize, then I would leave him be.

I waited for Uta to return,and when he did, he had his hands behind his back. I knew he was holding something, because it was out of character for him to just hold his hands behind his back. My curiosity was peaked, despite my situation.

Uta was slowly walking towards me, and before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me. I started up at his beautiful face. I wasn't going to lie, he was attractive, but that wasn't the reason I was looking at him. Nothing had seemed to change with him physically, he was still a head taller than me, he still had the same tattoos, piercings, same Kagune-looking eyes. I missed him in all honestly. "Close your eyes, Willow."

I did as I was told. I didn't want to argue. Not now, not ever. If he was willing to forgive me for being such an awful person, I would gladly be his friend. And an even better one at that. I felt something wall across my face, covering it completely. It was a mask. I couldn't keep them closed any longer. My eyes instantly shot open, staring a Uta dumbfoundedly.

"What? You needed a new mask right? I had this one stored away for you. I knew you'd end up breaking your other one, and I knew you couldn't stay away for long. You're not usually not like that, Willow. What happened?" Uta, although it was very faint, had a smile on his face.

He looked scary, to everyone else. But to me, he was just a kind ghoul who chose his friends wisely. "Uta, I don't understand. Aren't you mad at me?" I whispered. Uta's hand found the top of my head and rested there.

"Willow. You are my friend. I trust you to make your own decisions. If you wanted to leave, that was fine by me. But, I at least want an explanation now that you're back. And I could have used a goodbye too.

"Utaaaa," I wailed. "You're too kind! I was so worried you would be mad at me! I was out there for two hours! Awwa you're too cruel," I pouted. I felt so relieved that I just wanted to sit down and stare into nothing.

"I'm too kind and too cruel. Ok. That makes sense," Uta calmly said as he walked back to his sketch book. He started to draw again.

"AH you know what I mean," I whined and started walking around. It was better for me to be act like normal, rather than be awkward. I took my mask off and looked at it. It was incredibly detailed. It was a dark blue mixed with black, and was dotted with millions of little stars. it even had all of the zodiac constellations.

"Yes, yes," Uta muttered under his breath. I looked at him and smiled. I loved watching him draw. It was like seeing another side of him that no one knew. Uta suddenly looked up with a small smile. "Welcome back."


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few days I was in an incredibly good mood. Touka and the manager had seemed to forget to tell me about a small ghoul named Hinami and her mother were staying here in order to stay away from the Doves, but I let it slide. Meanwhile, Hinami was an adorable little girl. She had Kaneki and I help her with her reading, because she couldn't go to a proper school.

I was quietly working in the cafe when I noticed Kaneki's orange-haired friend walk in and sit at his usual table. I walked over to him with a pad and pen in hand. "Kaneki isn't here today, he's running some errands right now," I told him.

"Ah that's fine, I come here even when he isn't," He smiled at me.

"Is that so? Well, can I take your order then?" I airily laughed. It was nice to talk with a normal person. Ghouls were just far too serious for me sometimes.

"Yes, please. One cup of coffee," He said. "By the way, I'm Hide," he continued, sticking his hand out to me. I firmly clasped his hand with my own.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Willow. I'll be right back with your coffee." I walked back to the counter; seeing that no one else was inside the store, and started making Hide's coffee. I was quietly humming to myself, pouring the coffee into the pot, when Touka walked into the cafe. It was her day off, so with a nod to Hide and I, she walked to the back of cafe and up the stairs to her room.

I hummed to myself quietly as I poured the coffee into the cup. It was unbelievably peaceful. I still wasn't used to it. Back at the other ward, silence meant attack. I was still wary as I quietly walked back to Hide. "Here you go," I said.

He hummed in thanks and stared out the window. I didn't want to bother him anymore, so I walked back to the counter. Instead of standing behind it, I just grabbed a chair and sat. Nobody else was here, so I didn't want to just tire myself out by standing my entire shift.

* * *

The day went by slower than usual. Only two other customers came by after Hide left, and the manager let the shop close up early. I found myself sitting in my room on my bed. I was playing with my orange hair, completely out of ideas on what to do. I stared out of the one window in my room, barely noticing my reflection. My red eyes stood out of course, but it made me less suspectful to be a ghoul.

I found myself taking out my sketch book and randomly drawing. I wasn't even paying attention to what it was until the half shaved head and red ghoul eyes were staring right back at me from the paper. I had drawn Uta.

"Oops."

I nearly jumped off the bed when I heard a knock at the door. Being on the run for as long as I was should have made me less prone to be scared. But no. I still got the crap scared out of me. I may be a ghoul, but it didn't mean I was easy to scare.

"Willow?"

Uta's voice, I realized, had come from the other side of my door. I was so shocked that I when I tried to stand up, I tripped over my own feet and fell down in the process. "Yup! Gimme a sec, Uta," I said from my spot on the floor. Uta rarely ever came to Anteiku, so whatever he came over for must have been important.

I picked myself off of the floor and made my way to the door. The moment I opened it I was faced with Uta's chest. I had to look up to see his face. "Heyo. Watcha need?" I said to him.

"I need help with my shop." he said simply. His permanent ghoul eyes shined with excitement.

"Ok?" I said with a little hesitance. He had something planned. I was sure of it. "Well then. Let's go." There was no use in trying to back out of it. Plus, I was intrigued as to what he had in mind.

"Mmhh. Thanks," he smiled. I nodded to him and he backed away so that I could close my door. He waited for me to follow before walking through the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the cafe.

Just before we walked into Uta's shop, he spun in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. "I need help rearranging the shop," he said with a smile.

I deadpanned at this. "You could have just told me at Anteiku. I would have come anyways," I sighed and shook my head at him. "You're helpless, you know?"

"I know," was the only response I got out of him before he rushed to the door and opened it with such speed that it seemed un-ghouly possible.

I followed him in and saw that everything had been removed from the walls and the stands had been grouped together. Even Uta's small desk that he sat at sometimes was pushed to the center of the room. "You already moved everything?" I gaped.

"Yes, well, it wasn't to hard." I watched him from the doorway as he flipped through his sketch book. I could see the ideas running through his head by the look in his eyes. While they were permanently ghoul-like, they were still his eyes, and they were always showing some kind of emotion that I found interesting. His black hair fell against his cheek, and blocked my view of his face. I walked to the center of the room and sat on the stool that was in the middle of the room. It was also coincidentally right next to the desk that Uta was leaning over.

"So what did you have in mind?"

"For what?"

"Do you have an idea of how you want to redecorate the place?" I asked and brushed a few strands of orange hair from my face.

"Nope," Uta replied as he looked up and stared at me. For once, I was at his height. Or he was at mine. But I could finally look him straight in the eyes. "That's why I wanted your help. You're good at these kind of things."

"Hah, right. A ghoul who likes interior designing and art. That's a story that will make the Dove's laugh," I grumbled, but snatched Uta's sketchbook away. I took his pencil from his hand and tried to ignore his smooth skin against my own.

 _Oh boy,_ I thought nervously. I calmed my mind as I sat myself in a comfortable position and got to work. I carefully examined the room's corners and the lengths of the walls. I then got up off the seat and quietly examined all of the masks that Uta had made.

"So you have no idea at all, huh?" I said as I looked at Uta. I was brushing my hair away from my face once again, but I still noticed that he didn't look up at me when I spoke, he was already looking at me.

"Well, I want it to be different than before," he smiled without looking away. I gave him a look that told him to shut up. Thankfully, he did.

I started to sketch out the room on his sketchpad. Then I began rearranging the glass cases of masks on the white paper. It was silent for a long time, but I didn't notice as my mind was occupied with the different ideas. The little entrance to Uta's back room could have his desk in front of it, and the glass cases could line the walls as well as make a neat row somewhere in the middle of the room.

* * *

I sat up suddenly and carefully opened the glass cases. I switched the masks that were originally on the walls and stands into the cases and moved the ones in the cases out. Then, I quickly looked at Uta's sketchbook before tossing it to him. I stuck the pencil behind my ear, hoping it wouldn't fall out. I then began to move cases back into places they were before, but putting a few in different places. Uta was staring at the final sketch that I had made with interest.

"You can see where I want stuff, now help me rather than just standing there," I scolded him.

"Fine, fine," he mumbled with apparent laziness. He still grabbed his sketchbook with one hand and moved himself across the checkered floor. He kept glancing at what I had drawn and then moved one stand at a time carefully.

With his slow work, and my fast pace, we took longer than I had hoped for.

"Uta."

"Yes, Willow?" he said without looking up from where he sketched at his desk in front of the small entrance. I could hear the amusement in his voice as he responded. I got up off of the floor from where I sat against the wall. Without saying anything I walked myself the the other side of his desk and placed the palms of my hands on it.

I leaned in with an angry smile. "Why were you so slow?" I drawled out. "I could have been back at Anteiku with a good book, you know."

"That is exactly why I was so slow," Uta said as he made a long stroke on his paper.

"So you don't want me to read?"

"No, that's not it."

I didn't respond. He didn't want me to be at Anteiku? But I knew he trusted them. It was probably the safest place for me, so that couldn't be it. My eyes squinted in frustration. I was racking through my brain for answers when Uta's unoccupied hand reached out and held a strand of my bright hair. I had not realized that it had been spilling over my shoulders in long, straight locks.

"I knew you wouldn't get it," I watched Uta's lip ring move as he spoke. It glinted from the artificial light.

I glared at him. "Of course I wouldn't. I didn't have any other subtext. Nobody would understand what you meant," I deadpanned. I was quite smart, and I felt I felt like he was hiding something from me.

"I think anyone but you would have understood what I meant."

"What does that mean?" I spluttered and tried to stand up straight to cross my arms. Uta did not let go of my hair, however, and I didn't want to rudely pull away. I ended up staying in the same bent position, giving my back a small ache.

"It means I wanted to spend more time with you if it was possible," he said and looked back down at his paper with what seemed to be little interest. His pencil, which had stopped moving moments before, began to make the familiar scratching noise I was used to.

My eyes widened at his sudden statement. I just continued staring at Uta's beautifully pale skin and shiny piercings as he ran his fingers through my lock of hair before finally letting go. He continued making skillful strokes on his paper. I slowly righted myself, but left my fingers on the edge of his long desk. "You could have just asked me to hang out," I muttered.


End file.
